Established on 1st January 2019, TU Dublin is Ireland’s first Technological University, created by the merger of three established institutes of technology. It is a multi-campus university with a focus on practice-based and research-informed learning.
Technological University Dublin, TU Dublin, was established on 1 January 2019 as the first technological university in Ireland. It was created by merging three institutions: the Dublin Institute of Technology, the Institute of Technology Tallaght and the Institute of Technology Blanchardstown. It has about 29,700 students and 3,500 staff, and around one student in ten comes from abroad. The main campus is at Grangegorman in the north-west of the city centre, with further campuses at Tallaght and Blanchardstown.
The roots of the university are older than the merger suggests. The Dublin Institute of Technology was founded in 1887, and some of its colleges go back further, including the Dublin Municipal School of Music and the former colleges at Bolton Street and Kevin Street. The Grangegorman campus, built on the site of a former psychiatric hospital, is the main development of the past decade and brings most of the city-centre colleges together.
Teaching combines practical and academic work. The university offers certificates and degrees from level 6 to doctoral level, with strengths in engineering, architecture, computing, hospitality and tourism, culinary arts, design, music, business and applied sciences. Many students begin with an apprenticeship or a diploma and move on to a degree, and part-time and evening courses are widely used by adult learners.
Research is applied and is carried out with companies and public bodies, in areas such as photonics, sustainable energy, food science and media. Irish and other EU undergraduates generally pay no tuition under the Free Fees Initiative but pay a yearly student contribution, while students from outside the EU pay tuition that varies by programme. Check the current tariffs. Irish applicants use the CAO system, and international students have their own routes.
Teaching is in English. Dublin is expensive, and housing is the main problem, but the Luas tram and city buses connect all three campuses to the centre.
As a technological university, it has deep-rooted connections with industry across Dublin for apprenticeships, internships, and collaborative research projects.
Research:
Research is applied and industry-focused, with research centres in areas like sustainable environment, advanced materials, and information and communication technologies.
Famous Alumnis:
Domhnall Gleeson, Marian Keyes, Donal Skehan
International recognition**:
Number of staff***:
3500
Current students***:
29700
Foreign students***:
10%
Cumulative former students***:
100000
Pros
Offers a diverse range of programs with a strong focus on practical skills and career readiness. Strong industry engagement leads to high graduate employment rates.
Cons
As a new university formed from a merger, it is still developing a unified institutional culture. Its many campuses are spread across Dublin.
Best For
Students looking for a career-focused, practical, and technology-oriented education with strong links to the workplace.
Munster Technological University offers a comparable education in civil engineering, mechanical engineering and software engineering: it teaches at the same levels, namely bachelor's, master's, doctoral, associate degree, certificate and diploma, and covers marine science and agriculture as well.
Dublin City University offers a comparable education in data analytics, software engineering and engineering: it is smaller, enrolling about 17,500 students against roughly 29,700 here, and is also a public institution.
University College Dublin follows much the same lines as this university, with food science, data analytics and engineering as common ground, and it is slightly larger, at about 38,000 students against roughly 29,700 here, and is also a public institution.
Also strong in software engineering and engineering, Trinity College Dublin makes a sensible second look at home; it also offers mba programmes and covers nanotechnologies and chemistry as well.
In terms of fields, Dundalk Institute of Technology is the nearest neighbour, with mechanical engineering, software engineering and engineering again at the core; it covers ecology and sustainability and electrical and electronics as well, and is far smaller, with about 5,200 students against roughly 29,700 here.
Most Similar Schools Abroad
In Australia, Western Sydney University teaches much the same core subjects, civil engineering, data analytics and software engineering, and it is also a public institution and also offers mba programmes.
University of Technology Sydney in Australia shares the civil engineering, data analytics and software engineering orientation of this university, and it covers finance and industrial design as well, and is larger, enrolling about 51,038 students against roughly 29,700 here.
Guangzhou University, based in China, is built around civil engineering, data analytics and software engineering much like this institution, and it is slightly larger, at about 34,000 students against roughly 29,700 here, and is also a public institution.
Seen from abroad, University of Cape Town (South Africa) is a close relative on subject matter, since civil engineering, data analytics and engineering are central to both, and it also offers mba programmes and covers finance and astroscience as well.
British Columbia Institute of Technology in Canada is the nearest foreign match on civil engineering, software engineering and engineering; it does not run the doctoral programmes found here and covers marine science and aerospace as well.
*our own picks (our criteria: a mix between domains, diploma delivered, reputation and size), but obviously too many criteria for an apple-to-apple ranking.
FAQ
Where is TU Dublin?
The main campus is at Grangegorman in Dublin, Ireland. Other campuses are at Tallaght and Blanchardstown.
When was it established?
On 1 January 2019, as the first technological university in Ireland.
Which institutions merged to create it?
The Dublin Institute of Technology, the Institute of Technology Tallaght and the Institute of Technology Blanchardstown.
How large is it?
About 29,700 students and 3,500 staff.
How old are its roots?
The Dublin Institute of Technology was founded in 1887.
What is it best known for?
Engineering, architecture, computing, hospitality and tourism, culinary arts, design, music and business.
Which levels of study does it offer?
Certificates and degrees from level 6 to doctoral level, as well as apprenticeships and part-time courses.
Does TU Dublin charge tuition?
Irish and other EU undergraduates generally pay no tuition under the Free Fees Initiative but pay a student contribution. Students from outside the EU pay tuition that varies by programme. Check the current tariff.
How do you apply?
Irish undergraduates apply through the CAO system. International students have separate routes.
How are the campuses connected?
By the Luas tram and city buses.
Engineering, Product Development, Research and Development, Sustainable Development, Sustainable Materials, Sustainable Practices
*: without any judgment of the quality, readers are strongly encouraged to check the official status of the exact diploma envisioned as many universities have a mix of recognized diplomas, not recognized, “co-delivered,” “equivalent to”, “some pathways” (…), can change over time, and can be named differently from one country to another.
**: international reputation: is based on some criteria that do not mean much in some domains or specialties (number of researchers, of scientific publications, on budget ….). Our approximate 1-4 scale:
known locally
known locally and internationally
is listed in some of the world university’s classifications
is listed among the 20 firsts in some of world university’s classifications
***: estimated numbers, based on online sources and/or feedbacks. The numbers can vary greatly depending on school organisation (ex.: school is part of a group, it employs internal staff or external consultants or has public staff without employing them …). Refer to all the links provided to have accurate and updated numbers.
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